Wednesday, July 2

I have always been neither-here-nor-there on my opinion of british favourite store, Primark. Since their opening in Oxford street in early 2007, it seems everyone has fallen head over heels for the cheap prices. To me, primark is the epiphany of chav-iness. The nearest Primark to me is in Stevenage, possibly being the roughest area of the entire east side of the UK, having a regular supply of girls dressed head-to-toe in burberry checks, and high, tight, tight ponytails. All of which you will find in Primark, picking out the most hideous things possible. The other major reason is the poor quality, surely its better to fork out on something that will last forever than lots of things that will last a week each?

Dont get me wrong, i am a sucker for the cheap-ness, and the nice designs, and how everything you could possibly want is right there for you in one double-decker store. But its just the little things that make it so offputting. The way everything seems to break/rip/tear, how whatever you want is only ever in a size 16+, and how everything sells out so fast. Also, with all the hype around the slave labour thing, Primark has recieved alot of bad press of late. But now the overseas slavery has been fired (infamously...), and it seemed the spell of terrible publicity was over.But still, Primark comes up trumps. How is it that the cheapest store in the universe (bar Poundland) can come up with identical copies of every designer possible, and regular, ordinary priced shops cannot? I think Primark may be worth a visit...

great post! i agree i dont know what to think about primark. Nearest primark to me is about 20 mins on the train so i dont go often. and when i do go its only for somethinglike a black cardiganfor £6 and its £30 everywhere else, hope you okay :) xx

In Ireland, primark is known rather terribly as Pennys. I kid you not it is primark, all the goods have primark labels but it's called Pennys. And if it were possible, Pennys is even more worshipped here then in Britain.

I cannot open the style section of the sunday paper without the fashion writers swooning about the brillance of Pennys, that shops like warehouse are just whole lot of rubbish in comparison. Drives me mad!

Don't get me wrong I have a good few Primark items and wear them and I'm not a snob about the place either but honestly? Calm down please it's just a cheapy store filled with designer and topshop rip offs.

I like the cheap prices and some of their stuff is quitenice actually (like your picks), I just can't stand walking down the highstreet seeing twenty people with the same dress as me.

the luella knockoff is quite good, how paradoxical they can be this awesome at ripoffs when you're right, most things there are too cheap to even touch (when I went to cambridge last year- i went to the primark in oxford though- i didn't even bother with the clothes section it was such a cheap mess, and the shoes are all awkward stupid sizes, but the accesorries are great)

Hi pretty girl! I'm loving this post, I really do have to agree with the fact of finding cheap AND well designed clothing is such a great concept, but I really hate that probably 95 percent of it is either total child labor or broken labor laws - so damned depressing, along the seams giving out after you've had it for like a day. Let's start a new company - fair trade, good designing and made for girls on budgets? I like..

cheap knockoffs are usually just that, cheap knockoffs. i don't buy them. if i can't afford the real thing, i don't buy them either.if i don't feel good wearing something, i don't wear it. i try to buy nice quality things on sale. high tight pony tails aren't attractive.i sound much more dour than i feel.

i love the luella knock off dress too. i wonder what fabric it's made of. i love the way you described those burberry girls, and that gemma ward picture in your sidebar is interesting too! ^^and i don't judge you by your owning a zara ramones t-shirt, don't worry ^^xxx

Primark makes me so angry. It should be shut down!I don't see why people were shocked when they found out children in India were making the clothes, where else did they think £1 t-shirts were coming from?I know other high street shops are bad to but Primark seems like the devil. And Monsoon keeps trying to take them to court as they rip off their designs. They just make me feel ill and angry.

A style does not go out of style as long as it adapts itself to its period. When there is an incompatibility between the style and a certain state of mind, it is never the style that triumphs. - Coco Chanel.

MOLLY

im a simple girl really. give me some chewits and a magazine and i'll love you forever. i pretty much spend all of my time working on my 'education', but other than that i'll be shopping or sleeping.